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Hospital facing manslaughter charge over woman who bled to death after Caesarean

A south London hospital could be charged with corporate manslaughter after a woman bled to death shortly after giving birth to twins by Caesarean section.

The Crown Prosecution Service is examining a police file on failures at Croydon University Hospital that led to the death of Rosida Etwaree, 45, in June 2010.

She suffered major haemorrhage and died several hours after giving birth. She was never able to hold either of the girls, Nabilah and Nuha.

She was one of three women to die in the care of the hospital’s maternity department over two months in 2010. In a further tragedy, Nabilah died from a heart condition just before her second birthday. She is buried in the same grave.

Today Mrs Etwaree’s widower Ahamud is due at the High Court to receive an undisclosed sum in compensation from the hospital trust. But he said he was still waiting to find out who was responsible for her death.

Mr Etwaree, 42, who gave up his job as a forklift truck driver to look after his five surviving children, told The Times: “I will never forget witnessing her suffer in such a horrendous way.

“I begged the doctors and nurses to help her but they made me feel like I was panicking over nothing. I watched her die.”

Mr Etwaree, originally from Mauritius, added: “My wife is gone. She will never come back. I will continue this mission for justice, until my last breath. I will get answers for our children.”

An inquest was opened and adjourned after coroner Roy Palmer considered the hospital’s failings to be so serious that he asked the police to prepare a file for the CPS. This considers whether there are grounds for criminal prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter Act.

Solicitor Louise Forsyth said: “This is one of the most horrific cases I have come across and the failings of the trust were nothing short of atrocious.

“To have a healthy woman die following childbirth in this way in the 21st century is almost incomprehensible, but to know two other women died in the same time period suggests systematic failings.”

A Met police spokesman said: “At the request of the coroner, the Metropolitan Police Service carried out a review of the events prior to the death of a 45-year-old woman who was receiving treatment at a south London hospital. An advice file was submitted to the CPS on January 10. We await their response.”

The hospital trust said it had “made available all information” to the appropriate authorities.